A 40-year-old man was sentenced last week by a Charles County judge to 18 years in prison for the sexual abuse of a minor.
Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Tristan Thigpen of Clinton on April 2, the Charles state’s attorney’s office announced. Thigpen had been found guilty by a jury on Jan. 16.
On Feb. 3, 2021, a detective with the Charles sheriff’s office received a Child Protective Services’ intake report from Prince George’s County, the release said. The report indicated an open investigation into allegations of sexual abuse occurring in Prince George’s County.
During that investigation, the juvenile victim disclosed additional incidents of sexual abuse that occurred in Charles County.
A further investigation revealed that the juvenile and his family lived at a Waldorf residence from late 2015 through the end of 2016, the release said. During that time, Thigpen was one of the victim’s caregivers and had known the child for several years.
Initially, Thigpen had physical contact with the victim that included massages on his shoulders and arms, tickling and play-fighting, the release said. However, the physical touch escalated to Thigpen touching the victim’s genitals while alone with him, including at his Waldorf residence, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
In December 2020, the victim disclosed the abuse to a family member. A police report was filed.
The defendant takes no accountability for these crimes, and without that there can be no rehabilitation, Ed Stickles, assistant state’s attorney, told the judge during sentencing.
“The level of harm in this case is excessive and goes beyond the victim,” West said before sentencing. “In this world, you should leave children better off after being with you and that didn’t happen here. The verdict should have meaning, and the sentence should reflect that.”
